Archaeologists believe they have identified the lost biblical city of Bethsaida on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, a site where the New Testament says Jesus performed miracles and which was home to three of his apostles. The excavation team has spent a decade uncovering ruins at el-Araj in northern Israel.
Evidence at el-Araj, including a Roman bathhouse and hundreds of fishing weights, aligns with historical accounts describing Bethsaida's transition from a fishing village to a city. The presence of fishing weights points to the settlement's primary industry, while chalkstone vessels indicate a Jewish religious character. The discovery of a Roman bathhouse suggests urbanization, consistent with descriptions by the first-century historian Josephus, who stated that the settlement was elevated and renamed Julias by Herod Philip.
"Everything we bring out of the ground affirms and strengthens that identification," said Dr. Steven Notley, the excavation's academic director. "Nothing that we have found would challenge it at all."
Biblical accounts place significant events in Bethsaida. The Gospel of Mark (8:22–26) describes Jesus restoring a blind man's sight there. The Gospel of Luke (9:10–17) recounts Jesus feeding approximately 5,000 men in a "desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida," an area Notley believes refers to the pastoral lands surrounding el-Araj.
"I think Jesus was there on multiple occasions. I think we probably have a number of miracles," Notley stated. He also noted that Jesus rebuked Bethsaida in Matthew 11:21 for its inhabitants' failure to repent despite witnessing miracles.
El-Araj's location, just beyond the Jordan River and outside the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas, is also seen as significant. Notley connects this to Matthew 14:12–13, where Jesus withdraws by boat after learning of John the Baptist's death. The Gospel of John (1:44) identifies Bethsaida as the city of apostles Andrew and Peter, and also of Philip.
"At least a quarter of his disciples came from Bethsaida … it played a very important role as the setting, the stage for Jesus' life and ministry in the North," Notley said.
A significant discovery was made in 2017 with the uncovering of a late fifth-century church. Inside, a mosaic invokes Peter, linking the building to the apostle. This find prompted Notley to re-examine the account of an eighth-century pilgrim, Willibald, who described a church at Bethsaida built over the house of Peter and Andrew. In October 2023, excavations beneath the church's apse revealed a first-century house wall, supporting the tradition that the structure was built over the apostles' home.
"It doesn't get much better than that," Notley remarked about finding domestic remains from the apostles' lifetime beneath the church.
The team also uncovered evidence of a fourth-century Christian structure beneath the basilica, suggesting a continued Christian remembrance of the settlement's biblical importance, supported by the early fourth-century historian Eusebius.
"There's a continuing memory of Peter's connection to Bethsaida," Notley said. He believes the discoveries reconstruct the setting for Jesus' ministry and the lives of his early followers, calling el-Araj "the last lost city of the Gospels."